Black Forest Percussion Group: 50 years of Canto Ostinato

The Black Forest Percussion Group presents a concert project to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Simeon ten Holt's monumental work Canto Ostinato (1976 - 1979). This concert will take place at the Elisabeth Schneider Foundation in Freiburg in 2026 and offers a fresh perspective on a major work of minimal and contemporary music.

Canto Ostinato was originally composed for 2 to 4 pianos. However, Ten Holt authorized numerous arrangements for various instrumental ensembles. The work is based on repetitive patterns (ostinati) that are layered in a hypnotic way. The unchanging ostinati can be combined in various ways, giving the work an open structure that blurs the boundaries between composition and improvisation.